Wang Rong, a prime minister in the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316), was a very intelligent child when he was young. He was often praised by people around him.
When he was seven years old, he was playing with his little friends outdoors one summer’s day. They were talking, laughing and running along the road and enjoying themselves very much.
Suddenly, one child shouted excitedly, “Look at the plums! They look so big and juicy! Come on, guys! Let’s take some.”
The children ran to the tree. It was indeed a plum tree covered with big, ripe and mouth-watering fruit. They swarmed towards the tree.
At this moment, Wang Rong was walking up slowly, not hurrying at all. Instead he shouted at his buddies, “Stop! The plums are not good to eat!” The children ignored him thinking only of the lovely fruit and left him far behind. Wang Rong’s best friend didn’t want him to miss out on the fruit so he said to him, “Hurry up! Or you’ll get no plums!” Wang Rong answered, “Don’t hurry! The plums are too bitter to eat.” But his friend didn’t believe him and ran off towards the plum tree.
One child nimbly climbed up the tree, picked a plum and wiped it on his clothes. Hardly had he put it to his mouth when Wang Rong arrived, “Don’t eat it! It’s bitter! ” he shouted. The child curled his lip and retorted, “What? Look at this big red plum. How could it be anything but delicious!” Then he took a bite out of the plum. No sooner had he tasted it than he spat it out, “What a bitter plum!” The others couldn’t believe it. They all picked plums and tasted them, only to find they were all very bitter.
The children gathered around Wang Rong, “How did you know the plums were bitter?” He replied, “It’s simple. See, it grows by the road and the fruit are all big and red. If they tasted good, they would have already been picked by passersby. So they had to be bitter.”
All the children admired Wang Rong, and the adults, when they heard the story, said, “There is something about that kid and he will grow up to be somebody someday.”
